Visiting Old Friends
by coral-with-anxieties
Summary: When a certain demigod is reminded of his best friend turned greatest enemy, he suddenly wonders if the decapod is ok. Once more teaming up with his wayfinding friend, Maui finds out that maybe there was more to Tamatoa than he so quickly thought in the first place. And could he have something to do with the fish still being gone? (Stupid redemp arc turned AU type thing. Suffer.)
1. The starting point

Chapter 1: Wondering what he's up to.

* * *

Maui awoke on the soft sandy beach that he was now calling home for a while, stretching himself awake.

This was the first day he had been able to actually enjoy being on the little spit of sand on which he had set up camp for the time being, thankfully not having to tussle with any lava monsters anytime soon. Although being struck out of the sky again and again wasn't an overly fond memory of the demigod's, he could remember the time like it was only yesterday…

Well, only about a week had passed since the adventure, but still…

Moana.

He made a promise to himself never to forget that name as long as he lived, which would basically mean forever. That little village girl travelled through thick and thin, even risking her life to save his, and in the end, she saved him once again, restoring the heart of Te Fiti in the process.

As much as he wanted to tell himself that his time with the not-princess was entirely pleasant, there was one event that still stuck in his mind.

And a name that came with it.

He'd almost forgot about the cannibalistic decapod one day, the only reason he had remembered him before the action filled adventure across the sea with Moana being because that selfish shellfish had his hook. But after seeing a tiny crab that had somehow tumbled off a rock and landed upside down, the deity just couldn't seem to shake away a strange feeling in his gut.

A feeling of… Guilt? Worry? No, couldn't be… Why would he feel worried about that useless, selfish, egotistic, beady eyed bottom feeder anyway?

Watching the tiny crustacean struggle to right itself, however, Maui found his answer. There was a sudden subconscious pain in his chest, and he rushed over to pick the helpless creature up and place him down on his belly. It seemed to squeak in appreciation before scuttling off behind a rock and out of sight. Cursing under his breath, the demigod plopped back down on the sandy shore and ran his hands through his dark, curly locks.

"Gods… What am i doing..?" he spoke softly, looking up when he noticed a blue tint on his skin. The ocean…

"What do _you_ want..?"

The pillar of water tilted slightly, extending a smaller wave as if it were pointing to the crab that had just scurried away.

"Oh…"

The sentient wave needed no more time to think of a plan, dipping back into the larger body of water it had come from.

And arriving at Motunui.

A certain wayfinder was standing next to the shore, tending to a fish trap. Still nothing, the same as it had been even after she and her demigod friend had restored the heart. There was no fish, but there was plenty of pork and coconut.

But some cod would have been nice right about now, Moana mused, as she threw down the unsuccessful trap. She looked up, a smile immediately taking the place of her disappointed frown as she saw a large wave emerge from the blue horizon. After being handed an oar, the female curiously pushed out a boat. She was about to set sail when a familiar grunting sound came behind her.

"Pua..!" Moana grinned, stroking the black and white pig before looking back to her village. "Tell mom and dad i'm going out, ok? I'll… Hopefully be back soon."

Pua tilted his head with a deadpan expression, and gave a small squeal of annoyance. Right… Pigs _can't_ talk...

After handing the pig a quickly scribbled parchment, she gave him one last scratch behind the ear, looked to her watery friend for instructions, and began to sail in the direction she had been shown.

And after a few hours, she arrived on Maui's island.

* * *

Chapter 2: Making plans.

* * *

"Maui!"

"Hey, kid. What're you doing back here?"

Moana smiled with an annoyed tone, jamming a thumb at the wave beside her. "I think it wants you to tell me something…"

Oh… Of course… It _would_ tell Moana of all people, wouldn't it? "Did you… Want to tell me something?"

"Uh… Well, it's nothing really, but…"

"But..?" the cheif in training inquired, raising her eyebrow and leaning sideways closer to Maui. normally, she would have accompanied this gesture with a cocky smirk, but this time, there was only concern in her expression. "Hey, you're talking to the girl who delivered you across the whole _sea_ for Te Fiti's sake, you can talk to me..!"

Gods, what did a guy like him do to deserve this kind a friend, the demigod laughed internally to himself. He sighed, placing a hand on his knee to assist in getting back to his feet. "Just… Worried about some things…" Or was it actually worrying? Granted he had been such close friends with Tamatoa in the past, but he had tried to _eat_ them last time they met.

Ok, he'd ripped off one of the guy's legs… Which, now Maui thought about it, could have been avoided. Trust him to act without thinking, just like he always did. The demigod was weirdly close to jump to conclusions if humans were ever involved, always putting them in the best light he could when making decisions for or about them. Well, of course he did! He _had_ to! They were the race he lived for, he always did well by them, and in return they did the same.

So, naturally, the first thing that came to his mind when he woke up to find his crustacean friend surrounded by dead and injured humans, was that Tamatoa had mercilessly attacked them.

Funny… He never even thought to ask the decapod his own side of the story, but why should he have done? It was obvious what had happened, and the humans were quick to explain in further detail. They had been shipwrecked on the island and looking for material to fix their boat, when they were attacked and some killed by the then 45 foot crab.

Of course Tamatoa denied it, who wouldn't in order to save their skin? But Maui didn't listen, instead attacking the creature until it was safe to leave him and attend to the 3 surviving teenage men and 2 young women. After hearing that the gods had taken him to Lalotai, Maui's views on the crab as being just another selfish monster were solidified.

After all, he _was_ a descendant of Emere, one of the largest and most ferocious coconut crab monster in all of Lalotai. It barely came as a surprise that the decapod was no better than his grandmother.

But the guy had pretty much raised him… And they had shared moments of accomplishments, even having to protect one another from monsters, demons, and of course a certain band of coconut pirates. In those circumstances, Tama was always quick to put himself in harms way so Maui wasn't targeted…

He would always come out of those little scraps being beaten and injured, and of course his then best friend would feel concerned for the crab. After all, they were so close.

 _They were… So close..._

Maui waded through his thoughts for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that what he was feeling was closer to worry than any other emotion. He couldn't just leave the one who used to protect him to die. It wasn't right, it wasn't in his morals to leave someone helpless. He had even made a point of going for the legs rather than the claws or eyestalks during their fight; they were less needed and there were more of them. Even after being robbed of one, Tamatoa still had five more.

With this new state of mind, the demigod continued.

"Worried about some _person._ " he mumbled with a solemn lowering of his head. "You remember our visit to Lalotai, right?"

It was as if that word was all Moana needed to place everything together, and she uttered a slight gasp of realisation.

"T-Tamatoa?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Don't get me wrong, i know that greedy bottom feeder tried to kill us, but… i just can't get this weird feeling out of my head that-"

"We should go and check on him..."

When Maui stared at the girl with both confusion and relief in his eyes, she continued. "He was stuck on his back last time we saw him, and i don't know about you, but i couldn't go a week without food. We… We should go see if he's ok..."

As much as Maui wanted to believe Moana was saying this out of the kindness of her own heart, he knew just by her concealed smirk that there was something more. "So, what's in it for you?"

Moana blinked innocently at her taller friend as she twirled the oar in her hands. "Hmm?"

"Come off it, girlie, what do you want from this?"

* * *

Chapter 3: What do you want?

* * *

With the deity's help, the both of them were now on Moana's, now extremely upgraded and enlarged canoe and setting sail from Lalotai. She still hadn't answered Maui's question, which he made no attempts at forgetting.

"Mo…" The demigod sighed in a singsong voice, head propped up with a hand while the other rested on his leg.

He eyed the chief in training from his seat on the far side of the boat, smiling as she ignored him. She attempted to make herself look busy by checking the temperature of the water. Warm. at least they were on the right track.

"It's your people, right?"

"What is?"

"Why you're going." Maui beamed with satisfaction when Moana rolled her eyes, signalling he was hopefully getting somewhere this time. He pressed on. "You can't pull the wool over this demigod's eyes, what's your little mortal brain got hiding in there." The deity now decided using Moana's words against her would get the girl to fess up quicker. "Hey, come on, Mo. You're talking to the demigod who put up with you across the whole _sea_ for Te Fiti's sake, you can talk to me~!"

"Har har." The wayfinder gave a deadpan smile, before stretching her back. "Ok, you got me, I… Actually want to ask him about that fish pool he has."

"The feeding water?"

Moana nodded, nudging her oar to the side. "There's no more fish in our traps, even after restoring the heart, and maybe… Maybe if we help him, he could tone down the whole attracting thing."

Although she hadn't noticed it before, Moana was suddenly aware that her companion's movements had become rigid. He played it off, however, with a smirk and a laugh, causing the girl to forget to ask him what was wrong.. "Crab cake could use a diet anyways. But he's not exactly the grateful type, you know?"

"It's worth a shot." the girl decided, and they rowed on in silence.

When night eventually came, Moana had snuggled up close to the sail while Maui made sure they were going the right way still. To keep himself busy, he removed the tooth necklace around his neck and poked the tattoo depicting him holding up the sky.

Well, it was usually him holding the sky. This instance, however, showed the 'Mini Maui' was curled up on his side, using one of the palm leaves from his less talked about tattoo as a makeshift blanket, fast asleep.

Maui smiled, giving the tattooed companion another gentle prod. He groggily opened one eye, looking up to frown in annoyance at the larger counterpart who had just pulled him from a very needed and well deserved rest.

"Hey, little buddy." The demigod whispered with a smirk, so as not to disturb Moana's peace. Pushing the oar to the left a few inches, he then looked back down at mini him.

"What do you think crab cake's been up to after we left? Think he's ok?" Maui tried, hoping the sentient tattoo would at least share his concern. After seeing Mini Maui shrug with a sad frown, he relished in the fact that he could freely talk about what was bothering him. It wouldn't exactly have been easy to right himself up with Tamatoa's vast array of treasures and trinkets weighing his shell down, and the missing leg would only multiply that difficulty.

Not to mention he had probably gone a week without eating, which must not have made the monster exactly in his best strengths. He voiced all this to Mini, who seemed to pace around on the tattooed floor as he thought.

And then, dropping his fish hook, Mini came to an awful realisation.

The monsters of Lalotai.

Gods know the decapod wasn't exactly the most likeable creature, even before his and Maui's falling out. He was very self centered and self praising, yet with an odd charm to it that made you either love him or hate him.

And for the monsters of Lalotai, it was most definitely the latter that they felt.

If anyone else down there were to come across a helpless Tamatoa, stuck on his back, he would be killed without remorse. And if he hadn't eaten for so long, the crustacean would definitely be in no way fit to defend himself.

Mini didn't need to say his thoughts out loud, even if he had been able to, as the look in his eyes gave Maui all he needed to know. "You… You think he could be..?"

One nod was all it took for the somewhat restrained feelings inside Maui to break loose, and he quickly shifted his path to an island they were passing. Making a mental note of where it was by checking the stars overhead, Maui swung his hook, taking the form of a giant hawk. He grabbed Moana's arms in the new talons that replaced his feet, and bulleted through the sky to the mountain entrance.

* * *

Chapter 4: Shortcut.

* * *

As the female awoke, she let out a scream, dangling her legs helplessly before realising that the bird above her was none other than her shape shifting friend.

"MAUI!"

"WHAT?!" Came the demigod's way too panicked reply. He looked around, his first suspicions being the wayfinder had spotted Tamatoa somewhere. Seeing nothing, Maui replied his question with an irritated growl. " _What._ "

"YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"

Maui didn't respond, and only flew on with more speed.

"Where's the boat?"

"Docked it on an island back there, this is quicker."

Moana's already large amount of concern doubled in volume at her friend's snappy answer. She hesitated, but decided to ask anyway. "Why do we need to be quicker?"

"Can i ask you something?" The shapeshifter looked down at his friend, a serious frown taking the voice from her and letting her only nod her head in response. "If you and your people had an insanely powerful mortal enemy who you would gladly grind into the dirt if it weren't for their strength, would you kill them if they were suddenly helpless?"

Moana thought for a moment, processing the question and wondering if what kind of an answer it needed. _She_ , of course, would never hurt anyone, but her people..? Why was he asking about…

It took but a few mere moments, however, for everything to click. Her throat became tight, a newfound wave of concerns and fears rendering her dumbfounded.

"The other monsters…"

After hearing someone else say it, all concerns for safety flew out the window, and Maui barrelled through the air towards his destination.

They couldn't have got there sooner.

* * *

Chapter 5: While you were gone.

* * *

Maui burst through the mouth atop the mountain, plunging into the water in the form of a shark and landing back in his humanesque form. He allowed Moana to climb out of his arms as they went to the route they had used all those nights ago. They set out to the decapod's lair, hoping to gods he had been able to right himself and was residing by the side of his various shiny items. If not, at least they were close to where the other location of the crab could be.

Finally approaching the bedazzled cave, Maui felt his heart sink when there seemed to be no trace of not only Tamatoa, but of his treasures either. It was like the place had been ransacked, and not only that, but there was a trail of monster tracks that definitely hadn't come from the 50 foot creature.

"He's not here."

Maui ran a hand through his hair, cursing in annoyance as he took the form of a large pig, ran under Moana's legs so she was atop his back, and tore through the exit to the geyser. Please gods let him be ok-

Oh.

Oh gods no.

Please, no.

The sight before Maui made him sick to the very bones, and he involuntarily jumped back to his human form with Moana awkwardly sat atop his shoulders. Tamatoa was back up on his right side, though it was obvious that had not been the decapod's own doing. From the marks on the floor, it was evident that he had been pushed over, seemingly in order for a pack of about 15, bloodthirsty, fanged, 8 eyed bat monsters to gain access to the treasure that covered his shell.

It was cracked, pieces of the thing strewn here and there as well as some deformed golden items; most likely damage done from the other monsters' desperation to get at the shiny trinkets that worked wonders at attracting what little fish Lalotai had left.

The winged beasts seemed to circle the helpless crab in the air, sometimes attacking his legs or his eyestalks. Tamatoa sometimes attempted to bat them out of the sky, but from the sheer amount of effort it took him to even lift a claw, and the weight with which it fell back to the ground, it was very obvious that he was too weak to do any real damage.

His claws, as Maui had spotted, were huddled close to his face, and in the moments where he tried to put up a fight, something could be seen hidden underneath the one claw that remained down. He always only used his left claw, never both at the same time, which made it clear that whatever had been hidden must have been something Tamatoa valued more than the other treasures that were now in the claws of the bat creatures.

Or maybe just the only thing he had been able to salvage. Another one dived at his right side, and in doing so, made the shapeshifter aware of something that pushed him into a blind panic.

He was missing another leg, and another creature was making short work of a third one which was hopelessly trying to bat it away.

Maui could already see bites and dents in the appendage, and his vision went fuzzy after hearing a sickening crunch that was quickly followed by a shriek of white hot, searing agony from the no longer decapod.

And for a second, Maui could have sworn the bat creature looked like him.

He instinctively looked down, the hook in his hands covered in bioluminescent blue blood for a moment.

Not again.

Not this.

The last thing the demigod remembered before blacking out, was his hands replaced with brown pincers; the voice of his non-princess companion screaming in blind panic from what sounded to be a few feet above him.

He didn't take any notice of her protests, however, too invested in making those bat pricks _pay_ for what they had done.

No one messes with crab cake but Maui.

* * *

Chapter 6: Calm after the storm

* * *

"MAUI!"

The shapeshifter didn't reply, as if he couldn't hear Moana's voice over the soft crunching sound his new claws were making. "MAUI, IT'S _DEAD_ ALREADY! _STOP!_ "

It seemed the word dead was enough to snap Maui out of his rage induced trance, and he looked down to see the crushed remains of the bat monsters below his multiple feet. Studying himself, the shapeshifter was surprised to realise he had taken the form of a large coconut crab, about 40 feet high. He was in no way at all close to Tamatoa's size, but it had obviously been enough to finish the thieving monsters off.

Suddenly realising what had even caused him to fly out into a blind rage like that, he reverted back to his human shape, caught the female who had been atop his shell, and focused all attention onto the downed crab.

"Crab cake..!"

Maui gently tossed Moana aside and barrelled down to the body of his former friend. Obviously not satisfied with only removing one, the crab's former attackers had in fact torn off two legs from Tamatoa's right side. He was badly injured on his shell, too; numerous cracks and discarded pieces taking place of the golden items that were now either in the grasp of the mangled bat corpses or strewn about on the floor. Maui inched forwards to further inspect a few deep cuts on the crustacean's claws, but paused when Tamatoa let out a chorus of weak warning chirps and ducked behind them. He could barely keep his eyes open, the searing hot pain from all his fresh wounds causing the monster to see double. But even without his complete focus on the creature in front of him, the telltale blurry patterns and cream white weapon let Tamatoa know exactly who it was.

Like he needed to see _this_ guy now, when he was the weakest he'd ever been.

Starved for a week, robbed of almost all his possessions, attacked and dismembered, the decapod came to the conclusion that if Maui had come down to kill him, a fight would be out of the question.

However, now there was no more threats to his former companion, the demigod's curiosity was piqued on the decapod's claws. He edged closer, ignoring the weak chirp he got in response, and laid a hand on Tamatoa's nearer claw.

Moana cautiously walked up next to her shape shifting friend, realising what he must have been thinking, as she too placed her hands on the crustacean's pincer.

This is it. This is it, they're going to kill him.

Tamatoa gave another feeble chirp, fear taking over when he felt his last line of defense being effortlessly pulled away. After realising what was probably going through his mind, Maui immediately broke contact and urged Moana to do the same.

"I-it's ok, we're not gonna hurt you, just want to see what you were keeping under here…"

When the decapod lowered his head and made a frail attempt to shift his claw to the side, Moana was quick to step in and help. She gently pushed the appendage in the direction he was trying to move it, movements slow to not cause the monster any more undeserved pain.

The item that came into view almost brought the demigod to his knees.

* * *

Chapter 7: Priorities can be a strange thing.

* * *

It was a shell.

A conch, a now dull, cream white colour, the pink accents on the coils faded away to a sort of light tan colour. There were little pearls beaten into the sides with such amazing delicateness and precision that you could have sworn it had been formed like that.

After all these years… After such a violent falling out…

While Maui was fighting back the urge to slaughter every last remaining bat creature in Lalotai, his mini tattoo counterpart had fallen to his knees and was silently weeping. The deity looked down at his hook once more, and for a moment, flashbacks of their fight played over in his mind. The blind fear of the then smaller decapod as he tried to shield himself, and the unrestrained rage of the younger demigod as he tore through his once best friend's limb.

"You kept it…" was all he could think to say, the deity's throat suddenly feeling tight. And then; "You hid it from those… You… Oh gods…"

Maui stopped when his former companion seemed to try to say something, but it seemed he lacked the strength to do so. Frowning, the demigod passed his hook to Moana.

"I'm… Gonna get some food for crab cake… Stay here and keep watch."

The girl looked down at the weapon in her hand, and with her change of focus, didn't seem to notice how Tamatoa suddenly shot a weak glare at the demigod. "I-i don't know how to use this thing-!"

"You don't need to." Maui waved his hands in front of him before continuing. "Just think of it as a huge scythe. If anything comes this way, you take them out, got it?"

After accepting the nod he got in response, the deity raced off.

* * *

Chapter 8: How to care for your battered crab monster with not-princess Moana.

* * *

Moana watched him go, then turned to the beaten crab. She frowned with a quiet sigh, softly placing a hand on his right claw, which had been moved back in order to protect the conch.

The chief in training wasn't completely hopeless at comforting people in times of pain or sorrow, it having been her job at one point, but this was far beyond anything she had ever dealt with. He would need a lot of food, a lot of pain relief, and a lot of safety.

That is, if he was even going to survive such a brutal attack.

"How long were they doing that to you?"

No reply but another quiet chirp. By now, Tamatoa had lost the energy to keep his head up, and he simply rested it on the floor. The wayfinder sighed, getting up and checking the surroundings briefly. She brandished her new weapon, keeping it visible at all times and from all angles to show other monsters she posed a threat, and then looked back to the now trembling decapod.

Then to the crushed remains of the bat monsters.

Tamatoa must have been so hungry by now, and it was obvious he was in more pain because of it. Silently screaming in disgust, she used the hook to cut off a limb from the monster bat closer to her, and placed it down as close as she could get it to the weak decapod. After making sure he had the energy to grab it, the wayfinder went to cut off more pieces.

The bat creatures were miniscule in comparison to the 50 foot crab, but it was the closest thing she had to food right now, so she tried to make the cut off portions as big as possible, and still easy to chew. From the brute force of Maui's earlier rampage, however, it was obvious that not every bat was still intact to be a large enough meal.

Moana came back to the crab with a few more limbs, tails, and even some parts of torsos, to find he had barely taken a bite from the arm already there. Tamatoa picked at the ends, tearing strips of flesh off and pulling his body forwards so he could eat them. That obviously wasn't going to be the quickest way he ate something, but she stopped herself from helping further.

He had already been robbed of the only things he viewed as having any value to him, probably mocked and ridiculed by both their fight a week ago, and the attack just minutes before now. Having a human help him eat? That would just make him feel even more awful about his current state, which was the last thing the ocean loving female wanted.

Watching the crustacean as he slowly but surely regained some energy from the snack, the chief in training couldn't help but wonder how he felt. She had noted he was avoiding eye contact, focusing on the meat in front of him, yet at regular intervals, he glared at Moana from over his food.

Obviously, he had been lacking the energy to express his anger to the two, but thanks to the food, he could show it a little easier.

And that anger was a just emotion to feel. After all, they _were_ the reason he was stuck upside down at the mercy of the other Lalotai residents… Look what good _that_ did him...

He must feel so degraded by now… Hmm… Maybe she could… Just _talk_ to him for once...

"Tama..?"

The shortened name seeming to result in a sharper glare from the crustacean, he snapped back; "...Tama _toa_..."

Well… at least he had regained some more strength than before. But Moana was still concerned when she detected a certain shakiness in the crab's voice. She would still need to wait for Maui to return with a larger meal, as the bats had obviously not been enough. "Sorry… Tama _toa._ " She corrected, accepting that the decapod wouldn't have been ok with the idea of being ridiculed even more by use of a nickname. "Are you ok?"

Well, she had eyes. Obviously no was the answer, but the girl was met with pleasant surprise when she got a different response. "I'm… Better…"

Thanking the gods that her little improvised meal seemed to have done the trick, Moana cast her eyes down to the hook in her hands. After surveying the area once more, she had an idea.

Figuring it would be a way to make the crab feel less degraded, she began making silly imitations of her shape shifting friend as she held the fish hook, saying various egotistical quips in a mocking, low voice. When she detected the faintest of smiles creep across the injured crustacean's face, it only made her up her game. He was hiding his face from view with the meager snack, obviously not wanting to let Moana have the satisfaction of seeing that whatever she was planning was working. Twirling the hook in her hand, she now parodied Maui's trademark song, changing the lyrics to make them sound a lot more cocky and literal.

" _What can i say except, i'm awesome! Now i'll gloat about stuff i did!_ "

The crustacean now found it even harder to contain not only his laughter, but his… Appreciation of what the wayfinder was doing. He wasn't a stupid creature, not by any means, and quite quickly worked out what this mockery was in aid of.

Moana relished in satisfaction when she heard a weak bout of low chuckles, smiling despite herself after accidentally tripping during her antics caused the crab to laugh slightly harder.

She began laughing herself after turning around to face an utterly bewildered Maui holding an oversized winged fish like monster. She shrugged with a wink, earning more satisfaction from her actions when she saw the living tattoo pounding the floor in a fit of hysteria.

Maui frowned down at the tiny being, hands on his hips with an unimpressed glare now focused on his companion.

"You can do one of me if you want."

Gladly taking the opportunity, Maui began reciting a few Moana themed quips he had heard during their journey to Te Fiti. Ocean themed quotes seemed to be what he said most, imitating the wayfinder's voice yet purposely going too high and pairing what he said with theatrical movements.

* * *

Chapter 9: Feeding time.

* * *

Their little session of mockery was cut short when the crustacean stopped laughing from, seemingly, lack of energy to do so anymore. Maui attempted to take the hook in order to cut up the fish monster for easier consumption, but stopped once more after hearing another, barely audible chirp as the crab ducked back in fear.

"Hey, hey, it's ok..!" The deity began to reassure. "I'm not gonna do anything, just

wanted to dice this thing up."

He now made his movements slow, carefully cutting up the monster into smaller chunks, mirroring what Moana had done moments before. When noticing the abnormal blue blood covering his companion's arms, she stepped in to explain. "I figured we should put those creepy bat things to good use. Just think of it as… revenge." The curly haired female finished with a wink, turning to watch the now chuckling demigod moving the chunks of monster meat closer to Tamatoa.

"Alright, there we go. Eat up, crab cake."

Ugh, again with that stupid nickname. He wasn't a _cake_ , he wasn't even a _cake_ crab! He was a _coconut_ crab, and a very degraded one at that.

Moana frowned when she saw the crustacean once more give that same sharp glare to her companion, walking over to his side.

"Hey, i'm trying to help you here. You don't have to stare at me like that, cr-"

"Maui…" The female cut off, shaking her head. When the male she had spoken to raised a brow in confusion. "He's already had enough, just call him by his real name, ok?"

Normally, Maui would have complied. He, after all, knew how annoying it felt to be degraded and mocked. But the decapod's full name was a bit of a mouthful, and didn't exactly roll off the tongue. Accepting defeat, the demigod opened his mouth to correct his previous sentence. However, after feeling a nudge on his chest, he looked down to see Mini had been trying to get his attention.

And it seemed they were both thinking the same thing.

Once more pushing the meat portions forward, Maui grew a fond smile as he spoke his next words with a tone of nostalgia. "Come on, eat up, glowstick."

Glowst-?

Oh. _Oh._

When Moana rolled her eyes and elbowed the deity for not taking what she had said seriously, she suddenly became aware that Tamatoa's annoyed stare had turned into one of complete dumbfoundedness. A closer observer may also have detected some sense of surprised sadness. He… He _remembered_ that name..?

Slowly switching between looking at the food and the deity, a confused air hung around the crustacean as he cautiously pulled the meat forwards. Thanks to Moana's improv snack giving him somewhat enough energy to move easier, he ate by tearing off chunks with his teeth and claws, instead of just stripping the food.

Now the decapod was eating, Moana looked over to her shape shifting companion. "Why didn't you get fish from the cave? Wouldn't that be easier than fending off a monster without your hook?"

Maui acknowledged what she said, but didn't reply with any more than a short sentence. "These are bigger."

Well, of course they were, but… "Then why are you cutting it up?"

"There's no more fish up there anyway…"

The two seafarers immediately looked to Tamatoa, who eyed them both before going back to his meal. The shakiness in his voice, accompanied by how it was muffled by food; the crab definitely not being one for table manners and speaking with his mouth full, made it slightly hard to hear what he had said.

"Uh… What..?"

After building up enough strength to do so, and swallowing the food so it was easier to speak, the decapod raised one eye to look at Moana. He seemed to tense slightly, pulling his head closer to the now bland shell and looking down in annoyance as he repeated. "There's _no_ fish…"

Ah... So they had the same problem in Lalotai?

Well then, so much for Moana getting what she wanted out of this little expedition of perpetual terror and endangerment…

But that was hardly what she was interested in anymore. Now, the cheif in training was focused on getting Tamatoa back to his shiny old self. And a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

"We can't leave him here, Maui."

* * *

Chapter 10: Mission escape Lalotai.

* * *

In response to Moana's words, the demigod shook his head with a solemn frown, eyes cast downwards towards the scrambling tracks in the ground. When it came to the case of getting this guy back to health, Lalotai was definitely not a safe place to do so. "But where can we take him..?"

"Simple, back to Motonui."

The deity raised an eyebrow at his shorter companion, crossing his arms and shaking his head defiantly. He didn't want Tamatoa to get hurt even more, but he also couldn't trust the decapod around Moana's family of all things. The wayfinder frowned up at him, nudging him in the stomach with her elbow. Of _course_ Maui's first instinct was to say no, their previous falling out obviously making him less than trust the crustacean around any other humans…

But he was missing an alarming total of 3 legs now…

Not to mention the demigod had full control of his hook, and Moana's people were far from vulnerable with both him and the chief in training keeping Tamatoa in check. Besides, he just… _couldn't_ leave him down here.

He weighed out his options, comparing the reasons for with the reasons against. Then, coming to a conclusion, he nodded. "But first we should warn your people… And how are we going to get him out of here?"

One word came to the crab's mind as he heard that.

Geyser.

A fearful chirp escaped the decapod once more, and he retreated backwards, only having the energy to partially pull himself into his shell. His claws, however, were still out and protecting the conch.

And that was when Moana had an idea. "Why not use the ocean?" She suggested, a pillar of water shooting down in response.

Which was met with a slightly louder yelp, as Tamatoa fully hid in his dull shell. The ocean, it seemed, was also out of the question. Gods, how he hated being this meek… Especially in front of the _demigod_ of all people.

Just his luck…

"Hey… Buddy, c'mon, how else are we gonna get you out of here?" Maui interjected softly, placing a tattooed hand on his former companion's battered and cracked shell. He was obviously in no shape to stay down here, but if both the ocean and the far too small entrance were not options, what other choice did they have?

Hmm…

Hesitantly taking the hook once more, the deity began flicking through various large animals. Some who could climb, some who could swim, some who could fly. There was undoubtedly no way that Tamatoa could walk in his condition, so Maui needed to choose something that could both take the weight of the 50 foot monster and get him up to the boat.

The multiple blue flashes pulled the crustacean from his shell, as he watched with curiosity while Maui switched from his human form to that of a whale, the trademark giant hawk, even a few other large animals that Tamatoa didn't know the names for.

After at least ten changes, the demigod was back in the form of the giant brown crab he had used to take out his former friend's attackers. He was big enough and strong enough to support the decapod like this, so the new form proved to be the most useful one for their current situation.

Unfortunately, this meant they would still have to traverse through the ocean pillar which stuck by Moana's side. But maybe, just maybe, having Maui there would force Tamatoa to suck it up and deal with what leaving Lalotai would involve.

* * *

Chapter 11: Can we go now?

* * *

Maui allowed the crab to finish eating what he could before voicing his and the wayfinder's plan again. Right now, Tamatoa needed to get his strength back. And after Maui watched him pick his way through most of the bat monster limbs and at least half of the winged fish creature, the demigod cleared his throat.

"You good to go?"

He was met with a glare from the crab, obviously not trusting him with his life even for a second. Why should he? The only reason _this_ happened to him was because that little semi-demi-dummy had the gall to try and take his hook back, after he'd taken something equally important from Tamatoa just years before. Everything that had happened to him had been all Maui's fault; the leg, getting tipped over, and now… This…

Which the same demigod had just rescued him from…

And there was no way in hell he would rather stay here than go to wherever Motani or, _whatever_ it was called was…

"Hey, crab cake, i said are you-"

"Maui… Just give him a sec, ok?"

The demigod rolled his eyes, nudging what little was left of the fish monster with his new claw as if to tell Tamatoa to hurry _up_ already. He seemed to give another unimpressed stare in response, before a screech from nearby caused the trio to jump in anticipation of being attacked.

Fortunately, however, remembering where he was made the crab realise his vulnerability if they stayed any longer, and finally began to focus his strength. He, of course, was still very wary of doing what he was about to do. After all, the two squishy beings had already left the decapod for a week in an extremely vulnerable position, so how was he supposed to trust them with his life?

 _Especially_ with that resourceful little female one seemingly being able to bend the very water to her whim. For all he knew, she could just be leading him into a false sense of security in order to drown him.

Well… Not that he could actually blame her. He _had_ tried to have her as a snack last time they met, but come on; she was trespassing anyway, probably wanted to steal some things from his once dazzling shell, and in the end she ridiculed him by making him chase a glowing _barnacle..._

But looking around once more at the dangers that surrounded him, Tamatoa decided he would have to risk it. What was even left for him here..?

Still glaring at Maui, the crustacean shakily pulled himself as high as he could get. Thanks to the newly missing limbs, he only rose to about half his normal height, but it was more than enough for the shapeshifter to gently push himself under his right side and support the weight. It, surprisingly, wasn't too hard to keep him up, thanks to there being no added weight from the glittery trinkets that once covered Tamatoa's shell. Moana picked up the desaturated conch before climbing up onto Maui's own green shell, and the trio were delivered up onto the shore in record time.

A certain crab trembling in fear and distrust the whole way.

* * *

Chapter 12: Someone's a bit salty, eh Tama?

* * *

Reverting to Maui's usual human look, he shook off the drops of water that slicked his hair down and glanced over at the crab beside him. After realising Tamatoa was now more focused on the ocean than on anything else, the deity made sure Moana was out of earshot before asking his old friend something of importance to both him and his wayfinding companion. Ah, good. She had swam off to the island to retrieve the boat. That should give him plenty of time if the ocean didn't speed things up. And surprisingly, it was letting her do the work for a change.

Walking over to the left side of the crustacean, he plopped himself down in the soft sand with the desaturated conch in his hands and cleared his throat.

"You couldn't, uh... Reach it from down there, could you…"

He frowned at the third glare he got in response that day, yet was thankful when he actually got an answer, even if it was spoken a little weak. "I don't even know if i even still _can…_ " Even though the shapeshifter hadn't thought it possible, Tamatoa's glare became colder.

" _No thanks to_ _ **you**_ …"

Obviously angering the demigod when he was this vulnerable was a very bad choice, but the resentment he still held for Maui after all those centuries was too great to fully hold back. The only reasons he hadn't broken out of all bounds and crushed the egotistical deity with no remorse was because he currently lacked the energy to do so; also Maui's fault, and because he…

He just didn't want to…

After seeing his old friend save his life once more, a wave of confusing and unfamiliar feelings had hit the crustacean. In the past, when they were much younger and tenfold more happier with each other's company, Tamatoa had always been the defender and Maui the attacker. It was a plan they had; crab takes the blow of the enemy's attacks with his shell full of treasure while demigod deals devastating hit after hit with his hook. And, ok, in doing so, the decapod had accumulated a number of injuries; one that came to mind being a particularly close call with some creepy land eel monsters that had left his right eye with a permanent squint. But he had to take the hits for Maui. Despite his incredible strength and agility, he was far more easier to injure than the permanently shielded crab.

And now the crab's affinity with putting himself at risk had led to…

This…

Gods, why had he been so _stupid_? This type of behaviour in Lalotai only gets you _killed_ , which Tamatoa had found out first hand. He was a daredevil at heart, loved the rush of fights and as a result had numerous scrapes with his fellow monsters.

If only he had just stuck to the usual collecting and eating, he wouldn't be in this mess…

Thinking back, if he had never attacked _anything_ , he might still have been on good terms with Maui, and that lumbering idiot wouldn't have been able to steal the heart of Te Fiti. To further bring insult to the crab, the two squishy beings had even teased him with it during their last encounter. He would have been able to get it, he would have been able to put it back if it wasn't for that little mortal girl tricking him with a _barnacle_ of all things.

No doubt Maui had tricked her into thinking he wanted it for evil uses. Hah, he probably thought that too. Stupid Maui, always was one to jump to conclusions…

The half leg on Tamatoa's left side twitched as he thought that, and the demigod, who had been sitting in silence until then, looked down in shame.

Then, with a look of steely determination, the deity turned his body to face that of the gargantuan crab beside him. It was time.

It was time for an answer.

* * *

Chapter 13: Think it over, ok?

* * *

"There were… There were moments when i wanted to think that maybe you had a reason for doing what you did… But after the gods…" He hesitated to continue, this obviously being a sore subject for the two, but pressed on nonetheless. Maui couldn't stop now, or he would never want to bring the whole ordeal up again… He just _needed_ to know why Tamatoa did what he did... "After they banished you, i just… it was the only thing that made _sense_."

After the decapod made no attempt to respond, Maui embraced the silence as he thought once more.

There were so many dead bodies… It didn't make sense, why would he have attacked so many people if he knew how high the demigod valued their life?

Maui had never thought about it before, but when he thought back on that fateful day, the look of utter betrayal and fear in the crustacean's eyes now made him wonder if Tamatoa even… Meant to kill those humans…

"Why did you do it..?"

No reply but another ice cold stare. The crab obviously no longer wanted to talk about this, but Maui _needed_ an answer

this time, especially if he was going to trust him around so many humans. "Please… I need to know… Before we bring you back, i need to know..."

Tamatoa looked from the smaller deity beside him back to the water. He considered what to say; either completely refusing to justify what he did, or give the demigod an actual explanation.

Well… This was Maui he was talking to here…

That too-quick-to-judge dolt would probably still be holding him accountable for the attack if he didn't at least give his side of the story. But had he cared enough to ask him before? No. So then…

"Why do you care so much now..?"

Maui thought things over in his head. He shouldn't really come clean about being worried about the decapod to his face, that would seem laughable. Especially after their two previous fights. And then, with a smug smirk and a casual shrug, he replied; "I could ask you the same about the shell, crab cake."

The demigod grew a triumphant grin to place his smug one when the injured crab rolled his eyes. He obviously wasn't too keen on the idea of explaining his reasons for doing _that_ , so hopefully explaining his side of the story was a more pleasant option.

But still, this _was_ the guy who cut off his leg… Why should he grace the guy with an explanation he hadn't bothered to listen to before.

Tamatoa stood his ground, still glaring daggers at the minute in comparison demigod beside him. His voice dripped with venom, despite him barely having enough energy to string a sentence together. "I… Am _not…_ Talking to you…"

Maui sighed; he wished he didn't have to resort to threats to get something out of his former companion, but if that was the only option…

He squared up, got to his feet with a soft thump when he hit the sand, and grabbed Tamatoa's left eyestalk, dragging it close and ignoring the many chirps of fear and pain the crab retorted with. After shaking it slightly to get the 50 foot creature's attention, he spoke with a decisively merciless and hostile tone.

"Hey, you either tell me and give me a reason to even _try_ and trust you among Mo's people, or you keep being _stubborn_ and i kick your sorry shell back down there and let those other monsters finish you off."

To solidify his point, Maui gave the eyestalk another sharp tug before letting go and raising his brows at the same time. After doing so, the deity crossed his arms and tapped his foot, making a point of appearing dominant while he waited for an answer.

The crustacean pulled both eyestalks closer to his head, hissing from the pain that moving them so quickly had caused, then stared wide eyed at the being next to him. Of course, Maui would _never_ do that to anyone. Even if it _was_ the same creepy crustacean that had tried to eat both him and his little mortal friend. Leaving helpless creatures to die was out of his morals, especially after seeing the condition it had left him in, but it seemed the threat had been more than enough to make the once decapod open up…

But.. Ok, _maybe_ he should have toned it down a little…

" _Fine…_ " Tamatoa spat, eyes now narrowed. Lowering his head, the crustacean returned his focus to the ocean in front of them. Gods, that food had barely done anything for him…

But, now fearing for his life, the surge of adrenaline was more than enough for the monster crab to explain… _Everything…_

"You want the whole story..?"

* * *

Chapter 14: Exposition from the fab crab. (Flashback part 1)

* * *

Today had been a busy day. As far as Tamatoa was concerned, he needed to keep his little buddy safe while he caught up on some Z's. It _was_ Maui's turn to keep watch that night, but the crustacean wasn't about to force him to keep awake after the fight they had that morning. If _only…_ If _only_ he hadn't suggested looking for treasure in the forests. Those weird, gray and purple striped, 5 legged creatures, whatever they were, had no doubt been hiding in wait for a good meal to come their way. And a demigod and a 45 foot crab? They must have been thanking the gods for such a miracle.

' _Joke's on them'_ the crustacean sourly commented to himself with a cocky grin, picking at what remained of the monsters' corpses. There had only been about 5 of the things, and they were barely big enough to compare to the gargantuan crab, or his usual meals. However, the meat had an oddly sweet taste, so neither beings objected to skipping their usual fish meal and picking the bones clean of their latest attackers.

Stripping away a few strands of the half eaten creature before him, Tamatoa cast a wary glance at his demigod companion who had curled up under the branches of a pine tree, not too far away from him, an extremely sentimental item safely by his side.

It was the conch that Tamatoa had given to him as a birthday gift (or a washed ashore day, call it what you will) a few centuries ago. He had been combing the beach for it the entire week, and after finding it, had taken a few pearls from his stash atop the dazzling shell and beaten them into the sides. Thanks to his weirdly superior knowledge of miscellaneous beach items, such as shells and algae, the crustacean knew exactly what places would be strong enough to house the pearls without breaking the shell.

It had taken him about 3 days to fully complete his gift, but once he presented it to Maui, the look on the deity's face made the whole painstaking activity _entirely_ worth it.

A fond smile creeping over his face from the memory, the decapod moved his gaze back to his companion. No new tattoos, which came as a bit of a disappointment to them both. From the sheer amount of effort the crab had been putting into protecting his little friend, he was _sure_ he would have made it onto one of Maui's tapestries by now…

Oh well. He would one day.

* * *

Chapter 15: Tamatoa is way too protective of shinies. (Flashback part 2)

* * *

Carelessly tossing one of the limbs of the small creatures aside, Tamatoa was suddenly aware of a pair of eyes watching him. He hadn't noticed them before, but now he had, there were at least a dozen.

They were an abnormal shade of yellow, a sort of mix between the sun and tree bark. It was, for lack of a better word, ugly. Nothing like the stunning items that covered the decapod's shell.

Upon inspecting the eyes closer, Tamatoa realised he was not their focus…

But rather, Maui was.

Protective instincts kicking in, the crab rose to his full height and clicked his pincers together in a threatening stance. He hovered over the body of his sleeping friend, a chorus of enraged chirps escaping him as his gaze remained fixated on the strange creatures.

Slowly emerging from their bush cover, about 13 four legged, grey and green creatures began clicking and chittering, they had no hands or feet, only bulky limbs that all bent backwards and met at a sharp point. The back legs seemed to display sharp, curled barbs at the back of their joints, and the same spiked curls were also on the tips of tails that were curled above the strange monsters' backs.

They had oddly human features, slightly pointed noses and frontways facing, almond shaped eyes. However, their mouths held razor sharp teeth, and there were three stripes of dark green highlighting the foreheads. If that wasn't enough to thoroughly freak Tamatoa out, there was a slit in between the eyes of each creature which, by now, had opened to reveal another, crescent shaped eye which glowed a bright white.

And they were all focused on Maui.

" _Food…"_

" _Human food…"_

" _Crab food…"_

" _Crab_ _ **gold..!**_ "

" _Gold attract_ _food_ _..!"_

All at once, each creature cracked open their jaws and let out a hissing war cry, before darting at Tamatoa with their tails held up in an attack stance. Instincts kicked in, and he slammed his claw down in the path of the spiny beings in hopes to either hurt or hinder them. Thanks to the jittery motion they moved in, however, he only managed to break a foreleg of what seemed to be the leader. Tamatoa growled at the pathetic beasts below him, who had become even more enraged at seeing their leader get injured. A few of them snapped at his legs, while the rest scratched and climbed them.

After realising what was now enticing the creatures was his shellfull of gold, the crustacean batted his legs and began racing around in circles on the spot. Thanks to both his speed and the trinkets on his back providing far from the safest footing, he managed to catapult the beings into the surrounding palm trees; foiling their plan of taking his valuables.

Even so, they were still focused on exacting revenge for their leader, who had somewhat recovered from the blow and was limping with a surprising amount of speed. The decapod watched her cautiously with one eyestalk, batting away any other creatures that were coming for him.

When he saw that the jittery beast was headed straight for the particularly sentimental conch that lay by the side of the sleeping Maui, he slammed a pincer down into her back. Using the time she was stunned for, he quickly picked up the shell and placed it atop his own, much larger shell to keep it safe. No fucking _way_ were they getting their grubby little spikes on that.

A flash of sea green suddenly blasted through the clearing, and Tamatoa was forced to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness; especially since one had been permanently injured a few months before. When it subsided, the decapod was met with a confusing sight.

Where there had once been 13 spiky monsters, there were now 13 human forms with the same sharp teeth and almond shaped eyes. The eyes in the middle of the creatures had closed, and now resembled cuts over the things' noses. Some now had short, black hair that covered the markings on their foreheads, along with male-esque facial features, while others had curly locks and looked more woman like. To top it off, their tails were now wrapped around their bodies in the form of clothing; grass skirts and crude tops made of pink fabric.

 _How utterly_ _stupid_.

Obviously this course of action was a ploy to make the crab less wanting to attack them, to mess with his mind and hesitate to harm _humans_ of all things, but Tamatoa was no idiot. These… _Things_ had been trying to attack Maui before he stepped in, which only made him more willing to grind these puny things into the ground.

Which he _**very**_ _easily_ did.

* * *

Chapter 16: I swear it's not what it looks like even though it looks really fucking like that. (Flashback part 3)

* * *

About 7 of the things were crushed to death under the decapod's many legs by now, and he was now relentlessly beating another into the ground under his claw.

"How _dare_ you have the nerve to come here." The crustacean growled, once more slamming his pincer onto the bruised and beaten creature below him.

"How _dare_ you try to _steal_ from me!" In one fluid motion, the humanesque being was thrown into the air and snapped in two before falling back to the soft sand in a mangled heap.

" _HOW_ ** _DARE_** _YOU TRY TO HURT MAUI!"_ He bellowed, this time slamming his claw down and creating a deep cut in the leg of one of the more male looking creatures.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the crab's outrage paired with the pained shrieks of the monsters before him had caused his companion to awake with somewhat of a start.

And Maui had the entirely wrong idea.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The demigod cried, exasperatedly pointing at the injured human below his crustacean friend's pincer. Before Tamatoa could reply, however, Maui struck his claw with the blade of his fish hook.

The crab reeled in pain, causing him to back away and lose grip of the creature. When he saw the deity approach it, he tried to intervene. "Maui, don't-!"

"WHAT THE _HELL_ IS THIS?!" The demigod yelled once more, threateningly pointing his weapon at the decapod, who ducked beneath his shell. Maui surveyed the surroundings, yet kept his hook aimed at the crab. "WHY THE **FUCK** ARE YOU FIGHTING _HUMANS_?!"

Tamatoa's eyes went wide, as he realised what must have been going through the demigod's mind at seeing a pile of dead bodies that looked to be human. He shook his head, attempting to get closer once more. "No, they're not-!"

"Oh, don't even _**TRY**_ to worm yourself out of this one, you _**monster**_!" Maui snapped back before the crab could finish. His hook suddenly taking on a threatening blue glow. "I _**FINALLY**_ TELL YOU WHY I DO SO MUCH FOR THESE PEOPLE, AND _**THIS**_ IS HOW YOU **REPAY ME**?!"

Now beside himself with rage, the deity swung his hook and took on the form of a giant hawk. He flew at the crustacean's face, the flurry of feathers momentarily disorientating him and almost causing him to lose his balance. Tamatoa ducked down to shield his eyestalks from the blade like talons coming in his direction. His fight or flight instincts kicked in, and the demigod was met with a huge claw to the face when he circled round for another attack.

Bringing another claw down onto Maui in an attempt to stun him, the crab backed away once again as he used the spare time to try and explain. "Maui, these _things_ are _not-!"_

But he was cut off once more with the now seething shapeshifter shooting up into the sky once more. He soared over the decapod to a nearby rock structure, switched back to his humanesque form, and leaped at Tamatoa in a blaze of fury.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR HURTING _**MY PEOPLE**_ , YOU SON OF A **BITCH**!"

With a swift swing of his hook, there was a deafening splintering sound. The crustacean lost his balance, seeing double as his stomach collided with the ground.

His legs were shaking, his claws were heavy, everything hurt, and nothing made sense…

What just happened? What had Maui done..? In an effort to understand why he hurt so much, the crab attempted to push himself into a standing position. Involuntarily looking forward, he met the cold glare of the one he thought was his friend.

" _Stay down if you know what's good for you,_ _**monster**_ _."_

With a quiet yelp of fear, Tamatoa huddled up on the sand as he watched Maui walk away to tend to the surviving creatures. He could hear them talking, but he couldn't make out exactly what was being said… Probably a string of lies to make Tamatoa the bad guy in all this…

Thankfully, they were too injured to pose a threat anymore, but that wasn't what he was focused on.

Instead, the crustacean looked on in disbelief as a new tattoo formed on the demigod's back.

* * *

Chapter 17: In which Tamatoa is a confused mess. (Flashback part 4)

* * *

Tamatoa immediately regretted ever wanting to be on a single one of the tapestries after seeing what was now a permanent part of his once best friend's skin…

Quickly wrenching his gaze away from the heartbreaking picture, the crab now noticed one of the strange shapeshifting monsters was smirking at him.

 _The_ _nerve_ …

Using what little remained of his strength, the decapod raised his head and called out again. "Maui, please-"

"Shut it before i take off _another_ leg."

... _Another..?_

Eyes wide, Tamatoa quickly adjusted his head to inspect his body. The twitching stub covered in bioluminescent blood he was met with robbed him of any attempt to speak, and he simply pulled his body in, making himself as small as possible to not warrant another attack.

This _can't_ be happening… This _must_ be a dream.

 _Please gods, don't let this be happening…_

Tamatoa raised his left eye in response to a loud bird call, to be greeted with the image of his former best friend flying off with the five survivors on his back and in his talons. Panic slowly overtook him, and in a fury, he forced himself to stand.

No, _NO!_ This _can't_ be happening! Maui _couldn't_ leave him!

Maui… _Couldn't_ leave him… Right?

After all they had been through, this _can't_ be how it ends. It _had_ to be some sort of nightmare, it just _had to be!_

Pacing the ground as he became buried in his thoughts, one of Tamatoa's remaining legs collided with the mangled remains of one of the creatures. Confusion made way to pure rage, and he mercilessly ripped apart and devoured each corpse he saw.

Not exactly the best sight to greet a god with…

Looking up, the crustacean came face to face with the goddess of summer herself. He suddenly realised the scene he had created, and immediately made attempts to justify himself. "I-it's not what it looks like, i swear-!"

But the deity held up a finger to silence him, tears in her eyes as she shook her head.

"I come to see your progress… And _this_ is what i am met with..?"

Obviously, Taro wasn't exactly as much of an omnipotent being as Tamatoa had so wished in that moment, and he tried once again to reason with the being that towered over him. "I didn't-!"

"Enough, Tamatoa. I have seen and heard enough."

The goddess lowered her head, fighting back angry tears.

"Tamatoa, god of the sea, i hereby relieve you of your duties and banish you to Lalotai. From this moment forth, you shall not step foot on the surface until you have deemed yourself worthy again."

Picking up the crustacean by his shell, Taro brought the now cowering being close to her face as he shook his head in disbelief.

"I thought you were _better_ than this…"

In a flurry of green leaves, the crab found himself in a very different surrounding. The walls were a shimmering purple, there were glowing blue marine plant life all around him. And now he was listening, the crustacean was aware of a multitude of different animal calls. He shook his head to regain composure, using the last of his energy to crawl out of the cave structure he was in and take in his new surroundings.

And the sight that greeted him was none other than the hazard filled Realm of Monsters itself…

Lalotai.

A strange, dark purple monster suddenly skittered into view, twitching it's shield like face at an abnormal angle. In a wave of confusion and bitterness, Tamatoa crushed the creature and carelessly discarded it's body.

So… This was where he had to call home now..? This was what was expected of him? The decapod was still battling to keep the idea that none of this was happening, but what else were his options? Sure, he could have fallen asleep on the beach and this was just a terrible nightmare, but it all felt too…

Real…

"Well, Maui… If it's a monster you want?

It's a monster you're gonna _damn well get_ …"

* * *

Chapter 18: Back to the present.

* * *

"And then, of course, my so called Gramma dropped in for a 'visit'. Found out what a _great_ idea _that_ was…"

Resting his head on his claws, Tamatoa gave an indifferent glare to the demigod beside him and raised an eyestalk. "Is _that_ enough for you?"

"They weren't even human…"

Maui sat, breathless by the crab's side. A subconscious part of him wanted to still believe Tamatoa was in the wrong, but thinking back…

He _had_ noticed the slits in between their eyes, he _had_ thought to himself how oddly sharp their teeth were, but he thought it was just a tradition thing…

What made matters worse, when he looked back on it, he hadn't even _seen_ a boat anywhere. Obviously the logical conclusion was that it had been completely destroyed or capsized in the shipwreck, or Tamatoa had destroyed it out of spite, but to think there was no boat at all..?

"I thought they were… Oh gods…"

The deity ran his hands through his hair. He just couldn't process this, how had he been so _blind?_ Why hadn't he just _listened_ in the first place?

'Because you never listen, _do you_ , Maui?'

Slowly coming to terms with this new information, the demigod took to pacing the shore as he thought everything over. Tamatoa had… Never caused another human pain out of spite… In fact the only reason he attacked Moana was probably because he thought she was a thief or something. Gods know that crab loved his treasure.

But it took a few seconds for that to sink in. Tamatoa, in all Maui's years of knowing him, had never attacked a human without cause.

He'd never attacked _anything_ without cause now he thought about it. But there was still one thing that lingered in Maui's mind… Something he _still_ didn't have an answer for.

"So… If you never harmed any… _Humans_ … Why did you try and take the heart?"

Tamatoa did nothing but cast the deity a tired glance from his position in the sand, only a soft chirp escaping him in response. He had, by now, lost all energy to answer Maui's questions, even if his life had depended on it. The demigod accepted this, choosing to drop the question for now. He would come back to it eventually, but right now, he needed to let the crustacean regain his strength.


	2. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Making a move

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"Mo's taking her time, huh?"

Maui's attempts at restarting a conversation were only met with more annoyed chirps and another unimpressed glare from the crab beside him. Tamatoa knew she was probably just prolonging how long he had to deal with the demigod for, but he didn't really have the energy to act like he cared anymore.

After realising the icebreaker had gotten him nowhere, the deity swung his hook to return to his previous crab form. The confused look now in his once best friend's eyes got an exasperated sigh from Maui in return, and he started explaining.

"Look, the longer we leave you like..." He gestured a claw to the coconut crab's shell and half-legs. "Like that, the longer and harder it's gonna take for you to heal up. Come on, we can meet her halfway."

Tamatoa rolled his eyestalks, and forced himself to stand once more. This time, however, he buckled under the weight of his own body, almost flattening the shapeshifter now beneath him. The crustacean winced in pain as his half missing legs collided with the new, rough exoskeleton of his former companion, a short yelp escaping his mouth when he was hoisted up. Maui adjusted his body to support the 50 foot being without causing him more pain, slowly scuttling to the shoreline and taking a moment to think of a plan.

Coconut crabs can't swim, so he would need to take the form of a large sea mammal once he was in the water, but the transition also had to be gentle enough to not hurt the casualty above him.

Rolling his eyes, Maui looked down to the ocean before him.

"Look, I know i'm not the 'chosen one' or whatever, but could you give me a hand here?" He half mumbled, not entirely ready to ask the water of all things for help. Thankfully though, it obliged, picking the deity up in a semi-solid wave that went up to the top of his legs, allowing him to shapeshift into that of a large whale without jolting his body, or the one of the creature on his back.

"You good to go?"

Tamatoa gave him another disinterested stare before looking down at the water surrounding him. He surveyed it, looking from his claws to the ocean multiple times before focusing his gaze forwards. Momentarily comparing going to the human girl's village with staying in Lalotai, he nodded his head.

Unfortunately, the crab seemed to have changed his mind immediately after, and he forced himself off Maui's back, scrambling back onto the shoreline.

"What are you _doing_?!" The deity called behind him, taking the form of a hawk and flying back to Lalotai's beachfront where he watched the injured crustacean force himself forwards. Using the claw that wasn't holding up his right side, Tamatoa made a point of picking up the discarded conch they had almost left and jamming it onto his battered shell. He glared at Maui, seeming to dare him to make a pass at the decapod for holding such sentimental value in such a dull thing.

But surprisingly, Maui was more concerned for the crab's physical state. "You should have told me you wanted to go back, crab cake. What would you have done if you fell back into Lalotai, huh?"

"Well how was I supposed to know you were even _going_ to turn back?! Apparently I'm the only one who cares about this _stupid thing_ anyway!"

The crustacean picked the conch off his shell once more, holding it high to make his point before decisively replacing the item. He gave another icy glare in an effort to mask his obvious lack of strength from moving so suddenly, before submissing to his injuries and falling back to his stomach on the sandy clearing.

After the shock of the decapod collapsing had worn off, Maui huffed in realisation of being the one having to do all the hard work this time. Trust him to wear himself out...

Now that Maui thought about it, he was probably purposely pushing himself in order to not seem weak to the demigod. And it wasn't that he blamed Tamatoa for wanting to go back for the item. It was obviously one of the last good memories he had of them being friends, and if he didn't mind the teasing that would certainly ensue from admitting so, Maui would have said how much it meant to him that the crustacean apparently missed his friendship with the smaller being.

It took a while the second time, thanks to Tamatoa's actions rendering him unable to freely move his remaining appendages enough to stand, but in about 5 minutes the duo were back out on the ocean. And in another 15, they were back at the island Moana had swam to.

Ah, so _that's_ what was taking her so long.

"Could you have docked this thing _any_ more rushed?" The wayfinder huffed in annoyance as she clapped the sand off her palms. "At this rate, we'll have to dig up the entire _hull_ to get it out... Be honest, did you just crash it?"

Maui sighed, annoyingly spouting a fountain of water from the blowhole that his new form had given him. "Guess I was in a hurry... Sorry, Mo."

"It's fine, I guess, but how am I supposed to get it back?"

"Can't we come back for it? Not sure how long crab cake's gonna last if we make this longer than it needs to be." The demigod looked over the shipwrecked boat, deciding it would take them at least an hour to dig it out of the beachfront if he couldn't help from where he was. "I can remember where it is, but glowstick's kinda the priority here... No offence to your canoe, though."

Moana shook her head, casting a wary glance at the decapod on her demigod companion's back. She nodded, diving into the water and climbing onto one of Maui's fins to sit atop his head. "None taken, let's go."


	3. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Q and A

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"So... What's with the conch?"

Of course... Someone just _had_ to ask... Tamatoa rolled his eyes at Moana's question, although it hadn't been directed at him. The crustacean, after all, was far too low in energy to answer even if he wanted to. Accepting this as fact, the wayfinder had instead targeted her inquiry at the whale form beneath them. Maui shrugged, although the action was barely noticeable. He figured the injured decapod wouldn't appreciate him going into too much detail, so he just explained the basics.

"It was, uh... An old gift of mine back from when we hung out. I guess it was all he managed to salvage from the attack, but I don't know. You'll have to ask glowstick when he's healed up."

Moana nodded in thanks to the response she got. Wasn't exactly as detailed an answer as she would have hoped, but like Maui said, she could ask glowst-

"And... What's with the nickname?"

"Which one, crab cake?"

Shaking her head, the female continued. "I meant glowstick. Is _that_ back from when you hung out too?"

She was honestly overjoyed that she was finally getting some insight on the history of these two, but had to remember to keep questions to a minimum while Tamatoa was like this. Didn't want to risk delving into touchy subjects after all.

As nodding was an impossible feat in the form he was currently in, Maui instead chose to respond with a short hum of confirmation.

"But why _glowstick_?"

"Thanks to the whole bioluminescent thing he does when it's dark..."

The wayfinder couldn't stop herself from smiling at that, turning round on Maui's back to face who the nickname had been given too. Honestly, seeing a glow in the dark crab monster was something Moana had _never_ thought she'd see in her life. It was now too bright for the abnormal bioluminescence to take effect, but just remembering it was awe striking enough.

However, now she was looking his way, the seafarer was now more than aware that Tamatoa had been staring at the ocean for quite some time now.

Did he..? No, it would be stupid to think anyone would miss that hellhole.

Thinking back, she wouldn't have expected the crab to miss a place like Lalotai anyway, even without being attacked and dismembered by a pack of eight eyed bat monsters, but she assumed it was the only home he knew. Or it was where he met Maui?

She still needed to ask about their history... But now wasn't the time.

Instead, Moana used what people skills she had from training as a chief to try and read Tamatoa's body language. Next to asking Maui about the crab's intrigue with the water, this was the closest she would come to an actual answer.

Obviously, actually asking the decapod why he was so focused on the ocean wasn't an option when he was as weak as this. Maybe... he was still hungry? Gods know a few measly portions of bat and fish monsters wouldn't have been enough to get him back to full health, especially with the two extra missing limbs. That, and he probably went a whole week without eating, and Te Fiti knows that crab loved his food.

Her thoughts were further backed up when a lone fish swam past them, and the crustacean suddenly went wide eyed as he watched it. Of course he was still hungry, who wouldn't be? And, ok, there was a possibility that this was the last fish in the whole ocean. Her people could really use it.

But right now, the crab was her priority.

Bracing herself for the now cold temperature of the water, thanks to the fact they were now heading West to Motonui, Moana dived for the brightly coloured creature. She managed to catch the fish by it's tail, climbing back up the whale form beside her and presenting her catch to the decapod. Tamatoa eyed the fish, looking up to the wayfinder with a confused and distrusting glare. She sighed with a smile, pushing the floundering animal closer to his left claw; their short time together showed her he was in fact left handed, so this would be an easier claw to eat with.

Slowly pulling the fish closer to him, the crab kept a distrusting glare on Moana as he ate. Upon swallowing, he lowered his gaze back to the ocean and tucked his pincers under his head. "Nosey little thing, ain't you, babe?"

Hearing his snide remark, the wayfinder gave a triumphant laugh in response. Of course, after being met with another confused look, she explained.

"Never thought i'd actually be _relieved_ to hear you call me babe again."


	4. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Dramatic entrance

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Quick note, i now have a Tumblr! If you want to ask these guys anything, or just have questions in general for me, go ahead and drop an ask at backfromtherealm

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After finally arriving at the reef of the village island, Moana happily dived off her friend's back and into the shallow water below. Thankfully, there was just enough ocean to prevent her from accidentally diving headfirst into the bank.

Now they were back, it was time to deal with their new casualty.

But first, they had to work out a way to get both him and Maui on the beach without causing pain to the crab's injuries.

"Do any of your people have enough strength to lift a 50 foot monster crab?"

Of course the demigod's question wasn't serious, and after replying with a deadpanned smile and sarcastic laugh, the chief in training swam back and forth as she tried to think of a plan. If it involved Maui's shapeshifting abilities, it would have to be quick enough and seamless enough to not jolt the decapod, or risk causing any more damage to his injuries. But on the other hand, if it was any other way, Tamatoa couldn't enter the water at any given time.

That would be way too risky. If not for the fact that coconut crabs can't swim, then for the fact that this particular coconut crab was missing three legs and barely had enough energy to keep him upright as it was.

"Any ideas..?" Maui asked, after a few moments of waiting by the start of the reef. This was getting awkward... "Can't exactly keep him on my back forever, girlie."

"We could always use the ocean again?" The wayfinder suggested, a wave picking her up to be eye level with Maui in response.

Hearing another quiet chirp of fear as the crab decisively pulled his legs in towards the centre of the shapeshifter's back, however, Moana had her answer. "Ok... I think that means ocean is a no go..."

By now, both Maui _and_ Tamatoa had grown impatient of being stuck where they were. If it hadn't been for the crustacean's current weakness, he would have scrambled onto the shore ages ago. But of course, the fact that they were still too far away from the shore to walk it; Maui's current form meaning he had to stay in the deeper water past the reef, also made it impossible for either being to safely get onto the beachfront.

Fortunately, it seemed they weren't the only ones growing impatient, as a huge wave practically threw the two onto the shore.

Quickly reverting back to his humanesque form and shaking off the sand that now covered his hair, Maui rushed over to help the decapod who was now half buried in the beachfront. With Moana's help, they managed to get him upright without any further damage.

Of course, the little plan of actions wasn't taken kindly by either of the three, but Tamatoa in particular was more than a little annoyed with being catapulted headfirst into the sand. He glared at the wave that was now inspecting him from the shoreline, and in doing so, almost missed the body of sea moving back to show the conch. It had, not surprisingly, fallen off his shell in the process of being thrown to the shore.

The crab's movements were slow and very cautious, and he always kept one eyestalk focused on the troublesome wave as he made to pick up the sentimental item. If he hadn't trusted the ocean before, there was no way he was going to trust it now. First the geyser, then this...

Just as the decapod's pincer had closed around the shell, the water that had previously been moved away rushed to replace itself. Tamatoa instinctively pulled his claws in, a loud yelp escaping him in the process.

Ok, probably not the best thing to do in front of such an inquisitive human. Cursing himself for his stupidly meek actions, the crab began counting down in his mind the seconds until the little mortal girl was going to ask him-

"Are you... Scared of the _water_?"

Of course, there it was...

"I am not _scared_ of anything, babe." The crustacean spat, glaring at the female from his spot on the beach. "Just _surprised_ me..." 'Like most things keep doing.' He added inwardly to himself, quickly surveying the conch for any breaks before slamming it down onto his shell once more.


	5. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Budding friendship

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"Well, i'm gonna go warn your people. What are your folks' names again, Sina and Tui, right?"

Moana gave a quick nod, seating herself by the injured crab's head and waving behind her as the demigod flew off in the form of his trademark giant hawk.

Now focusing her attention on Tamatoa, the wayfinder idly drew swirls in the sand with her finger as she thought over a few questions.

"So you're a coconut crab, right?"

"Hmm..."

Taking that as a yes, the chief in training slowly walked off to a docked boat, picking up a discarded hatchet used for harvesting. From what she knew about coconut crabs, they couldn't swim, and they liked to rob shiny stuff...

And of course, they liked to eat coconuts.

Climbing one of the nearer palm trees with the weapon held in her teeth, Moana cut away as many of the ripe nuts as she could find.

Occasionally glancing back at the injured crustacean, she found he had been curiously watching her, head tilted slightly to see the mortal better from her place on the trunk of the tree.

Bringing the coconuts back was a bit of a tricky task, as in her haste, she had forgotten to bring a basket over. But by piling the majority into her arms and kicking the rest along the beach, she had managed to present them to the decapod in under a minute. "You... Like these too, right?"

Still weirded out by this human's kindness, but appreciating it nonetheless, Tamatoa gave her the effort of a deadpanned smile. "S'kinda in the name, babe. Wouldn't be me if I didn't like these things."

Huh, strange...

Effortlessly cracking the shells in half, the crustacean found he liked having this mortal talking to him. She was inquisitive, stubborn, yet incredibly kind. Nothing like a certain demigod. He still had to remind himself that this squishy little mortal was also part of the reason he'd lost another two legs and most of his treasures, but something in the back of the decapod's mind made him realise she probably hadn't meant to do that.

After all, this was a human. She was probably too infatuated with being in the presence of such a _selfless_ and _astounding_ person such as Maui to think about the consequences of her actions. She hadn't lured him into a geyser out of spite, she had been trying to save someone and he followed her. Well, easy mistake to make when that someone was the same _semi-demi-_ _dolt_ that had already cost him a leg.

Now the events of last week had passed, she seemed to be acting a lot more level headed and reasonable…

And not trying to lure him around with glowing sea life, which was a nice change.

And kindness was definitely something the crab wished he came across more often. Not to mention he loved people talking about him for a change. Well, ok, her previous questions had seemed a little _too_ prying at first, but who was he to judge? Who wouldn't want to know more about such a glorious creature?

So, how does this work in human customs, is he supposed to be kind back? Wouldn't be the weirdest thing he's ever done, but still, they had technically only just met.

Well, it wasn't stopping her...

Cracking the tough shells into quarters to better gain access to the meat inside, Tamatoa offered one of the pieces to the mortal beside him. She gratefully took it, and they ate in silence.

It was almost too silent... The decapod even found he missed being asked about himself. He didn't have to wait long until another question was sent his way, however.

"You, uh... You never answered my question..."

"Gods, which one..?" Came the crustacean's snappy remark in reply. It hadn't meant to come across as rude, more of a sort of joke, which the crab backed up with a playful roll of his eyes.

Moana laughed, breaking off a corner of the shell in her hands and tearing off some of the contents. "How long those bat things had been attacking you for. Just so we know what damage we might be dealing with here."

It seemed being reminded of the attack had knocked Tamatoa out of the somewhat happier mood he had been in previously, and he rolled his eyes once more. However, it was obvious she was only asking in order to better help; for whatever reason she even wanted to in the first place, so he obliged and gave an answer.

"I don't know, few hours? Nothing i'm not used to anyway, that stuff just... Happens when you're in Lalotai."

Moana gave a sad frown at the decapod's statement, only having somewhat of an idea just how hazardous things were in the Realm of Monsters. And after replaying his statement over in her head, the wayfinder thought of something else. "Did you... Ever get my name?"

"Too busy talking about myself, babe." Tamatoa remarked with a smirk, thinking back to see if he was ever actually told this little mortal's name. "Maui calls you Mo... But that's probably just another stupid nickname he made up..." Quickly surveying the female beside him once more, he continued. "And you don't look like a Mo. So, uh..." What was the call now? Does he ask? That's usually the protocol here... "So, what's your name?"

Standing up with a sudden air of professionalism, Moana beamed with pride as she gave her answer.

"I am Moana of Motonui, master wayfinder and chief in training."

But after realising that the introduction may have been a little too formal and way too rehearsed thanks to her chief training; even a little 'Maui sounding', she bit her tongue and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Bit of a mouthful, Moana of Motonui..." Tamatoa responded with a joking grin, once again focusing his attention to the ocean as he finished up the last of the coconuts. "Think i'll just stick with babe."


	6. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Brains and brawn

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Cracking open the last of the hard shells, Tamatoa was struck with a sudden realisation of something that had been bugging him for over 1000 years, and he accidentally crushed the coconut in his pincer. After ducking to avoid getting hit by one of the pieces, Moana turned to look up at the decapod beside her. "What's up?"

"Coconut spiders."

A half restrained laugh escaped the crustacean when the wayfinder quickly looked behind her, then he continued. "The things that attacked us, I never knew what they were, but they must have been coconut spiders..." When he was met with another even more confused stare, Tamatoa rolled his eyes and gave further detail.

"We were looking for shiny stuff, me and Maui... Before he decided to tear off one of my legs. We were checking a forest and these weird purple striped things attacked us. I always had a sneaking suspicion, but… Yeah, they must have been coconut spiders. Knew it..." With a triumphant grin, the crab picked up a discarded chunk of coconut and ate the last of the flesh inside. Oh boy was he going to have the last laugh when Maui came back...

"What... _Are_ coconut spiders..?"

Oh right, Lalotai thing. "Well, you humans probably call them something different, but that's what they're known as down in the realm... Basically just... Weird five legged things with purple stripes. They're pretty good swimmers and climbers, so they sometimes escape Lalotai and disguise themselves as coconuts to trick dumb human creatures."

Ok maybe that wasn't the nicest thing to say. "No offence to you... Or your people. I'm sure they're not dumb like other humans are, so... Wait, that's not better."

Gods dammit, why was being nice so hard?

Shaking her head, Moana gave Tamatoa a sympathetic smile. "None taken, keep going." She urged, eager to finally hear something to do with the history of these two, or maybe she just enjoyed hearing the decapod talk about something in so much detail.

The crustacean happily obliged, as he was also somewhat eager to show off his brains to someone who seemed to appreciate it. "Yeah, so... The purple markings usually give them away, so most coconut spiders evolved to live on a diet of coconuts as well as the odd dumb mortal. Thanks to their huge appetite, their meat is basically as sweet as an actual coconut... Funny looking little things, they are, too..."

When Tamatoa finished his explanation, he took to absentmindedly poking at the sand with his claw. Thankfully, Moana's second improv snack seemed to have given him a little more energy to use, which in short, felt great.

"You're pretty smart, you know?"

Huh... Bit of a weird praise, but the egotistical decapod definitely wasn't one to ignore compliments. He was however, definitely not one to know what to respond to praise with.

Usually, it would be something along the lines of; 'Of course I am! You're lucky I'm even gracing you with my vast knowledge, it's obviously a first for someone of your species.'

But he was actually trying to be nice to this 'Moana' girl. Didn't want to be needlessly rude and self centred. Sure, it made himself sound superior, but ignoring the fact that this human girl had been unconditionally and _stupidly_ kind to him so far, there wasn't exactly much superiority to the crab right now.

Lowering his head, Tamatoa went for the generic; "Thanks, babe..."

Smiling at the response she got, as well as just barely stopping herself from spouting Maui's trademark 'you're welcome', Moana began thinking about all the other mysteries surrounding the decapod she still needed answers for. There was, of course, the story of how he met Maui... But she was almost certain he wouldn't exactly jump at the idea of talking about something as personal as that...

Especially to a stranger.

Speaking of strange, she still didn't _exactly_ know why the crustacean was attacked. Maybe that would get an answer..?

"Why were they doing that in the first place?"

With another roll of his eyes, Tamatoa gave a snappy reply. "It's _Lalotai_ , babe. We're not exactly the kindest people."

"But why go through all that trouble of taking your stuff?"

With a sigh, the decapod lowered his head. "You're not letting this one go, huh..?"


End file.
